


Boundaries

by Angylsmuse, Orithain



Series: Dark Bonds [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 01:15:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8183225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angylsmuse/pseuds/Angylsmuse, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orithain/pseuds/Orithain
Summary: What if Qui-Gon hadn't changed his mind and Obi-Wan decided he didn't like the Agri-Corps?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted August 2002.

It looked like a typically upscale area of the Telosian capital city of Thani. The elegant streets that passed nearby had patrician looking trees, all neatly trimmed and kept perfect, sophisticated flower arrangements and well manicured green areas. The expensive stonework that made up the architectural marvels of buildings was quarried half a planet away then shipped in at great cost; even the sidewalks had veins of marble running through them.

The area fairly reeked of old money and power both old and new. It was a place to make powerful friends, exert influence and play your cards right. In the timeless restaurants, shops, and nightclubs favors were traded, lives were bought and sold, and politics were manipulated, all without people ever catching a whiff of the corpulence and corruption.

It was, after all, an elegantly appointed area where the rich and the famous went to see and be seen as well as to expose their lily-white selves to the world.

One building blended in with the next and faded into the general tapestry of the neighborhood, and no one could guess at what went on behind the closed, ornately appointed doors.

Many of the buildings didn't even have street numbers; they were simply told apart by the color of their doors.

One particular building had a dark midnight blue door with a shining brass lantern with blue stained glass over its mantle and was situated on an out of the way cobblestone avenue. It seemed harmless enough. Looks, however, could be deceiving.

Such was the case of The House of the Blue Lantern, one of Thani's most decadent brothels.

Once inside, the elegant austerity of the outer world faded behind the decadence and opulence of this den of vice and sin where every perversity was catered to with only the most talented and most beautiful of whores. Anything could be bought for a price - any whore, any act, any pain, any pleasure. It was by far the most successful brothel on the planet.

In one particular room of the establishment a lithe young man, just barely sixteen, glistened with sweat as he rode the huge cock embedded in his ass, undulating and moaning like the houri he was, taking his pleasure as he would even though a dozen people were paying to watch him spitted on the enormous erection by way of two-sided mirrors and discreet and darkened viewing booths.

A strawberry blond braid danced over his chest, tickling his right nipple, and his short hair made him look very much like one of the mysterious Jedi's apprentices, a padawan-learner. In a kinder universe it would have been true, and Obi-Wan Kenobi would have been the apprentice of Qui-Gon Jinn instead of a runaway Agri-corps worker turned rogue Force-user, thief, and whore.

He laughed low in his throat and then let out a sensual moan as he bounced up and down on his current trick's cock - a man not unlike his not-to-be-master with long salt and pepper hair, a huge frame and a scruffy beard. It rather amused him now to be riding this man's 'saber' instead of a man he'd been willing to follow with near blind devotion three years before.

Ahh, but Jinn had rejected him as a padawan and cursed him to a life in the Agri-corps. Even one who'd been so firmly grounded in the light as that younger Obi-Wan could be corrupted when his dreams were crushed and his young heart shattered. And that was precisely what Jinn had done when he'd thrown Obi-Wan to the wolves.

Bitterness and betrayal had invaded a once happy heart, and in the space of a year the laughing child he'd once been was dead, replaced with someone colder, harder and full of anger at the universe at large. He'd watched and waited, and when they'd despaired of him and sent a missive to Yoda that they feared he was turning dark, Obi-Wan had jumped planet and disappeared into the universe.

He'd lived by stealing and selling both his services and his body. Parts pilfered while on Bandomeer and on various worlds had allowed him do something no non-Jedi should have been able to: build a lightsaber. He became 'rogue' and embraced the danger and the knife-edge he walked on - a creature not quite of the dark but no longer of the light.

Eventually he'd drifted his way here, to Telos, the home of Qui-Gon's last apprentice, another who'd turned dark. It made him wonder if the fault was, in fact, the vaunted Jedi's rather than his own. After all, Jinn was now one for three, not the greatest of odds. But that was neither here nor there. Jinn was no longer any concern of his; he had more immediate needs to take care of, like eating and finding work.

Luckily for Kenobi, he fit right in at the Blue Lantern, his proclivities and looks making him popular with the clientele and earning both him and his handlers more than enough money to keep everyone happy. And it left Obi-Wan with time enough on his hands to practice his true craft even if he did have to whore himself in order to make a living. What was a body but another weapon, after all? That was a lesson he'd learned early on in his new life.

A presence in the Force brought the young man back to the present, and he glanced furtively around, trying to figure out if it was friend or foe hidden behind the mirrored glass, watching him as he reached for his pleasure upon this great beast of a man beneath him.

Xanatos sat back in comfort, surrounded by those who, like him, had been drawn to this place by the rumors of a Jedi whore. Unlike the sensation seekers, he'd had a reason for wanting to find out if the rumors were true, and now that he was here, he could feel that the writhing slut in the other room truly was a Force-user.

He glanced over toward the entrance, and the obsequious male who'd been watching him anxiously scurried to his side. "Is he acceptable, Lord Xanatos?" he gabbled, nearly falling to his knees at the dark human's feet.

"Completely. Send him to my home. Payment will be delivered to you when I ascertain his condition." Xanatos stood up and left, ignoring the fellow's wails of protest. He would pay him more than the boy was worth... at least as a whore. As an apprentice... well, that remained to be seen.

***

Obi-Wan followed the two handlers to the hovercar that would take him to a private party he'd been requested for, his hand casually hovering over his hidden saber. Something just didn't feel right, but his control over his prescience was shaky at best due to his decided lack of training - yet another thing to damn Jinn for.

Obi-Wan sensed a shift coming in his future, for good or ill he didn't know, and he found it unsettling that he couldn't sense the thoughts of these two gorillas, but until he had a better idea of what was going on, he'd play the brainless whore going to a party.

The closer he got to the estate and the further out of the city he went, the more Obi-Wan's Force 'alarms' went off, and they increased in volume until there was a warning klaxon in his mind. He sensed a Force user nearby, a powerful one!

Before he could will the driver to turn around, they were pulling up in front of the estate and he was being manhandled into the main foyer. There was no way he was going deeper into the house; he refused to walk into a trap now that his eyes had been opened.

Suddenly coming truly alive for the first time, Obi-Wan lashed out with both the raw, untrained power of the Force that was his to command and with his fists and body. One behemoth was Force-hurled across the room, slamming into a wall with a loud crash even as the other was flipped over the wiry shoulder of his opponent. Obi-Wan fought with the ferocity of a cornered wild thing; he was _not_ going to let any Force-be-damned Jedi strip him of his abilities, not without a fight that drew blood.

Xanatos stood at the back of the room, watching the young man's efforts. Yes, he really had had some Jedi training, though judging by his very minimal control and age, he'd probably only had the basics given in the creche. A failed candidate perhaps who hadn't enjoyed the alternatives available to those not chosen as padawan learners?

"Enough," he barked, striding forward. "Yes, you'll do just fine," he said, dismissing the others with a wave. "So little not-Jedi, how would you like to learn what they refused to teach you?"

Obi-Wan bit back a sarcastic remark as he spun to face this newest threat... and stopped dead as he felt the Force eddying and surging around the stranger - dark and deadly but so very strong.

"Who _are_ you" he asked, a little in awe and a lot suspicious of this newest person. Too many harsh lessons about the fickleness of so-called masters and how Force-users tended to betray those who sought to learn from them. Too many years of struggling to survive and seeing the darkest corners of the sentient soul, not to mention other species. Obi-Wan was not about to trust again so easily, despite the offer of his heart's desire.

"Xanatos," the dark man replied, smiling coolly. He was well aware that his name was used as an object lesson for young Jedi-hopefuls. "The Sithlord."

The Force-sensitive young whore's reaction would determine his fate: life as his apprentice or death. Xanatos hoped it would be life. After watching him earlier, he had a few other things in mind for the pretty boy.

Obi-Wan blinked. Then stared. Then burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that tears streamed down his cheeks and his sides ached. He laughed until he could only weakly gasp for air.

"Oh, this is _too_ rich!" he snickered, not quite sure how he felt at the moment beyond the fact that he was well and truly the butt of some enormous cosmic joke. "Jinn makes it abundantly clear that I'm not good enough to ever be his apprentice and that he'll never get over the perfect padawan turned bad, and lo and behold but who should offer to teach me the dark arts? The perfect padawan gone bad. The Force really does seem to have it in for me, doesn't it?"

"So Qui-Gonn still hasn't gotten over me?" Xanatos said in tones replete with satisfaction. "What a shame. Someday I'm really going to have to look him up and fuck him the way I wanted to. 'It'll interfere with your training, Xani.' 'We can't before you're knighted, Xanatos.' Bantha poodoo! The man's probably a damned virgin." He turned his attention back to the young man. "Unlike you... What _is_ your name anyways?"

"What's it to you?" Obi-Wan shot back, more than a little jealous that Jinn was obviously so enamored of this, albeit gorgeous, blow-hard of a fop. _This_ was why Jinn had passed him over. The more he thought about it, the more pissed he became.

"Bastard, I'm worth twenty of you, and he sends me to the fucking Agri-corps just 'cause he was afraid to get laid? What a cretin! And to think I wanted to grow up and be just like him when I was in the creche. Pathetic, really pathetic!"

Eyeing the smaller man, Xanatos had to laugh. "Hate to break it to you, kid, but you're never going to grow as big as him. But you're cute." He considered tapping the button nose, but he had a feeling the irritated young man might bite him. "So should I take that to mean that you're not interested in being trained to use the Force?" He shrugged. "There was another one who had potential, though _really_ horrible taste in facial tattoos. Guess I'll see if he's interested..."

"I never said that," Obi-Wan replied quickly, watching the older man carefully, the way you'd eye a Hoth Wampa - admire its sleek lines but watch out for its claws and fangs.

"I'd want to know the price of such a transaction before I strike the bargain. After all, I doubt very much you're doing it out of the altruistic goodness of your pure Jedi heart. Name your price, Xanatos; what part of me do I have to sell in order to become your apprentice? My soul?"

"Your soul is between you and the Force," Xan shrugged, indifferent to the idea. "What I want is your talent and that lush little body in my bed whenever I want it." The pure lust that shone in his eyes as he ran them over the half-naked, Force-gifted whore made it clear that he wasn't kidding. He wanted the pretty boy, and he intended to have him. It would be more pleasant for both if Obi-Wan were willing, but it wasn't essential. Of course, he wasn't going to tell the boy that unless he refused to cooperate.

"So, is your less than virginal ass worth learning to use the Force and spitting in the collective eye of the Jedi Council?"

"That depends on whether or not you make it worth my while," Obi-Wan said after long minutes. "I may be a whore, but I'm a damned expensive one. I'll require a set of rooms to myself where I'll sleep when I don't have to... service you, a new wardrobe so that I can get rid of those gaudy things I'm forced to wear at the brothel, a rather healthy stipend - I've become used to being liberal with my money - and no questions about certain topics, like Jinn, my life at the Temple, my associates or basically anything before I set foot into your little web.

"If you have no problem with that, then I have no problem with you using me as you see fit; after all, it's not like it means anything, and it's not like I really give a damn one way or the other who I fuck to get what I want out of life," the former initiate finished cynically.

Xanatos returned an equally cynical smile. "Deal." Of course, he had no more intention of adhering to the letter of it than the pretty little whore did. He would find out everything there was to know about him before he was done, but for now... "And shall we seal the bargain?" he purred, the hot look in his blue eyes, which now resembled the pure heat at the heart of a blaze, making it clear what he had in mind.

"Are you ever planning to tell me your name, or shall I just call you Apprentice Whore?" he inquired dryly.

"Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi. So, we gonna do this here, or would you rather I spread my cheeks in privacy?" the teen replied, his cultured accent making his crude words that much more obscene. "Like I said, I don't give a shit, but you might."

The so-called richest man on Telos appeared to give the matter some consideration. "We'll have plenty of time to mark the marble over the next years. For tonight, I think the comfort of a bed is called for.

"Follow me." He turned on his heel and strode up the antique, ostentatious stairway, never bothering to see if Obi-Wan did as commanded. If he hadn't, this would be the shortest apprenticeship in the combined history of the Sith and Jedi.

Making sure to stay just out of reach, Obi followed at his own pace, knowing that it was now his place to follow but refusing to let himself be seen as a mindless little braid-boy happy to bounce at his master's feet. Maybe once upon a Sith's moon he would have been but now... no way in any of the hells in the galaxy!

"Nice digs," the youth finally had to admit. "Who'd you kill to afford them?"

"My father." That reply actually silenced the young man behind him for a moment. "Actually, Qui-Gon killed him, right before my eyes, to save his precious peace," Xan snarled, lost in memories of the past. "I branded my cheek with this mark, from Crion's ring, to remind me never to trust anyone else, especially not a _Jedi_." He practically spit the last word, then turned to eye his newfound apprentice assessingly. "Together, my young apprentice, we'll destroy that smug bastard and the whole damned Jedi Council, and we'll remake the universe for ourselves."

"My young apprentice?" Obi rolled his eyes. "Gimme a break, that sounds like something out of one of those really bad holovids of the return of the Sith. I want you to teach me, true. I'm trading my body for that privilege, yes, but great gods above, don't think this is some fate-bedamned quest for power and immortality. That ain't happening!"

Bursting into laughter, Xanatos grinned at the other man, for the first time since they'd met relaxing and looking his age, which was only a few years older than Obi-Wan. "Okay, no smarmy nicknames," he agreed then waved the young man on. "Last door on the right. Feel free to explore; no one else is here except the servants, and none of them are in this wing. Pick whichever room you want for yourself."

Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow. "You mean you're not going to tell me I need to be in the room right next to yours so I'm easily accessible day and night?" he asked sarcastically. "Fine then. I want one that has a great view and gets the morning sun so I can meditate. It's one of the things they taught me that I still do and enjoy. And isolated. I've never had a room where I haven't had to share or haven't been surrounded by people. Until I learned how to build mental shields I thought I'd go crazy from the noise in my skull."

Not bothering to wait for an answer from his new owner, he began opening doors at random. Obi would be damned he'd call anyone master ever again, not after what Jinn had done to him. No one deserved that title, and no one would ever truly be the master over him, not if he could help it. Xanatos was using him as surely as he was using the older man, but that was all there was to it as far as he was concerned.

Opening a door that led to an opulent, even decadent room, Obi knew he found Xani's suite and shut it immediately, ignoring the amused gleam in the dark Jedi's eyes. Well, at least now he knew where he was gonna be fucked on a regular basis. Moving on, he entered and discarded a handful of rooms before he found one that called out to him.

It was almost ascetic, done in muted tones of sand and sky and cream. The room was light, airy and earthy all at once. There was a platform bed with a huge mattress and silken coverings with netting hanging over it, a huge bathing area, a balcony that overlooked water gardens and even a meditation mat. It cried out to his ravaged soul and soothed and surrounded him with a peace he had not felt in a very long time. "This one. I want this room," he breathed as he felt some of his shackles loosen and lift away upon finding a place that told him he belonged at last somewhere and to someone.

Xan wondered if the young man would still like it if he told him that this had been Xanatos' own room when he first bought this residence shortly after returning to Telos. Back then, he'd still not rid himself of all the Jedi disciplines Qui-Gon had instilled in him, and this had felt right to him. The fact that Obi-Wan liked it told the dark Jedi that the former Initiate still retained much of what the Jedi had taught him despite his belief that he'd turned his back on them.

"Then it is yours," he said simply. He briefly considered allowing Obi-Wan this first night to get comfortable in his home, but he decided that would not start their relationship out on the right foot. "And now it is time to return to mine."

Shoulders hefting in a silent sigh, Obi-Wan cast one last, hungry look at the room and then turned to face Xanatos. He should have known better. Really he should have. Nothing for free and no kindness without a price. Ah well, he'd made this bargain knowing full well the terms and the cost - namely his body. It was no different than any other deal he'd made the last few year cycles - this one just had prettier wrapping and was tied in a luxurious bow.

Methodically, almost clinically, he stripped his clothes off until he stood naked before his new owner, and then, stepping around the older man, walked out the door, his hips rolling in unconscious seduction as he moved towards Xanatos' bedroom.

Glancing back over his shoulder towards the man who still stood in the room he was about to pay for, Obi-Wan fought the urge to roll his eyes impatiently. "Well? Are we gonna do this or can I get some sleep? It's been a busy day for me considering I've been servicing tricks non-stop since last night."

Rule number one, don't let 'em see your vulnerabilities, or they'll just use them against you, he carefully reminded himself as he turned back and walked the rest of the way to the room and then casually leaned himself against the wood next to the door, waiting.

One dark eyebrow rising nearly to his hairline, Xan followed the young whore to his room and tossed the clothes he'd caught up at him. "Do not walk naked around my home. This is not a whorehouse," he said coldly, moving past to the bed.

"You may use my bathing room to clean yourself. I will not have the sloppy remnants of others in my bed. When you are done, join me." Ignoring the young man after that, he removed his own clothing, briefly displaying a finely sculpted body, then shrugged into a silk robe. That done, he left the clothes where they'd fallen, knowing a servant would take care of them in the morning, and moved over to a chair where he picked up a book and glass of fine liquor.

"Could have fooled me," Obi snarked under his breath. "Oh sure, I've got a fancy title, _apprentice_ , but it doesn't change the fact that you want me to whore myself to you." Having made his point, Obi-Wan disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door securely behind him, trying desperately to regain his lost composure.

So close, the real Obi-Wan, the one that hurt and bled on a daily basis at what he'd become in order to survive, that Obi-Wan had nearly come to the surface.

"Damn your soul to all the hells of the Sith, Qui-Gon Jinn," he whispered, looking at a face that, while aesthetically pleasing to all who bought his services, reflected back to Obi-Wan the darkness that had invaded a soul once filled with nothing but the light. "You did this to me, old man. You consigned me to this hell and your former apprentice when you cast me aside because I wasn't good enough. _You_ made me into a whore and a rogue. I hope you burn for what you did. I can't wait to throw it all back in your face, oh great and glorious Master Jinn, just how thoroughly you can destroy lives with your cowardice."

Wiping his face clean of all emotion, using old meditation tricks to get himself under control and wipe the slate that was the Obi-Wan the universe saw blank once more, the young man stepped into the shower and began to almost ritually clean himself for his new whore master.

Although he'd heard Obi-Wan's response, Xanatos chose to ignore it. It was a small rebellion, after all, and he didn't really want to spend his first night with his pretty new toy/apprentice disciplining him. Besides, while it might not be exactly the norm for a Sithlord, he preferred not to eradicate all traces of independent thought in his apprentice. Hopefully, in time, the boy would become if not an equal partner, at least one who could share the burden.

He was amused when he heard the lock catch, wondering just what Obi-Wan thought that would do against a Force-user. Shaking his head, he mused how true it was that childhood habits never really go away. Laying his book aside, he leaned his head back against the plush covering of the chair and closed his eyes, waiting impatiently for Obi-Wan to rejoin him.

After making sure he was totally clean both outside and in, Obi-Wan toweled off quickly and lubricated his anus thoroughly. No sense wasting time and who knew how Xanatos had planned on taking him. Small doses of pain might be pleasurable, but there was no way Obi-Wan would let himself be taken dry.

Taking a few more moments to lock his true self away inside an impenetrable box in his mind, a trick he learned years ago when he first became a whore in order to survive, Obi-Wan opened the door and stepped out into the bedroom to face his new master.

Midnight blue eyes the exact shade of the silk robe he wore opened and fixed on Obi-Wan the moment he stepped into the room. "Much better," he approved, seeing that the boy truly was beautiful without the heavy cosmetics his former owner had insisted on. Knowing that the young man expected him to act like his former clients, to sit back and expect him to do all the work, Xanatos rose to his feet and paced across the room toward him, much like some wild feline stalking its prey.

Coming to a halt in front of the wary youth, he stroked a finger over one smooth cheek. "Beautiful indeed." Xanatos lowered his head to brush his lips over Obi-Wan's in a whisper soft kiss, then waited to see what his new apprentice would do.

Jerking his head back, Obi-Wan stared at the older man. "What did you do that for?" he asked, shocked. None of his tricks had ever wanted to kiss him before.

"Because I wanted to. Because it is pleasurable." Xanatos was taken aback by that reaction. It seemed that Obi-Wan had been ever more abused than he'd thought if he couldn't even associate kissing with sex. He curled a possessive hand around the nape of the young man's neck, holding him still, and kissed him again, his tongue this time lightly flicking over Obi-Wan's closed lips, seeking entrance.

Not sure if he liked this or not, Obi-Wan stood completely still, going lax in the dark Jedi's hand. When Xanatos' tongue sought entrance into his mouth, the young man hesitantly opened his mouth and let the older man's tongue slide inside. Obi-Wan's eyes stayed wide open, watching Xani's every move like a cornered animal watching its stalker.

Xanatos kissed him passionately, exploring his mouth while making sure not to spook him by moving too fast in areas with which he was unfamiliar. He approached this kiss with Obi-Wan as he would gentling a wild animal he was trying to domesticate... and Xanatos had never failed to tame any creature he had chosen as his own.

The tiny mewling whimper came out of nowhere, and Obi-Wan felt his lips go soft and open a little wider. His body became more pliable, and he felt his penis begin to fill and lengthen, something that hadn't happened without manual stimulus in a very long time. Eyes drifting shut, Obi's hands came up to rest lightly on Xantatos' hips, and his breathing became erratic. Force, was he actually becoming aroused from a kiss?!

Carefully hiding his amusement from his fellow Force-user, Xanatos deepened the kiss when Obi-Wan began to respond, drawing him slightly closer and allowing his hands to slide down to cup Obi's ass, though he kept them otherwise motionless.

Finally pulling his head back, Obi-Wan's tongue darted out to lick at the moisture Xanatos left behind. "No one's ever wanted to kiss me before. They don't kiss whores, or so I got told. Whores were holes to be used.

"Oh, they'd fuck my mouth or my ass, but they'd never kiss me. That was something they saved for people they really wanted or really loved. Figured by not kissing me they weren't really committing a sin or something," the former initiate confessed quietly. "You had to be different, didn't you?"

"I pride myself on it," Xanatos responded with the most open expression he'd worn since Obi-Wan arrived, a wicked, sparkling smile that his age-mates at the Temple would have recognized as Xani at his happiest and most mischievous. "Besides, you're not a whore any more, and eventually I'm going to convince you of that." He ignored the fact that Obi-Wan had no right to say no to him in favor of the reality that no one else would use him.

"A whore for one or a whore for hundreds, doesn't change the fact that I've basically sold myself to you," Obi-Wan replied pragmatically. He had long ago lost the freedom to indulge in illusions and found that it was safer to accept the cold hard truth.

The last illusion he'd harbored was that Qui-Gon Jinn would realize what a fool he'd been and come to collect Obi-Wan. But after a month with those damned earth grubbers he'd known differently and had hopped the first transport he could to a life away from anything Jedi.

No, Obi-Wan was now older, wiser and harder. Dreams and illusions were for the innocent and the foolish; he was neither. "But you're more than welcome to try and convince me to believe a lie; after all, isn't that what makes you Sith? The ability to make lies seem like the truth? Maybe if you teach me long enough, I'll believe that, and who knows, maybe I'll believe that love really does exist, and hey, I know, I'll even believe that that bastard Jinn really _did_ want me as his padawan; it was just all one big, ugly mistake!" the younger man laughed bitterly.

"I find myself supremely indifferent to what Qui-Gon did or did not want," Xanatos replied almost sharply before regaining control. "And whether he changed his mind or not, he is elsewhere, and you and I are here." He shrugged free of the expensive silk, leaving him as naked as Obi-Wan, and he drew the younger man back against him, silencing him with another kiss.

This time, however, he allowed himself to begin to explore the lithe body in his arms, stroking the long muscles of his back and lightly scraping his nails over sensitive flesh.

Obi-Wan couldn't help but appreciate the perfect body in front of him. And Xanatos was perfection. Hard, lean, lithe and quite beautiful. Only the crescent-shaped scar on his cheek stood out as being different, and even that didn't detract from his appearance. If anything, it only added to his appeal; it made him more masculine in his beauty. "Are all Sith as beautiful as you?" Obi-Wan asked, drawing in a shivery breath as Xanatos' nails threw him off balance.

The question startled a laugh out of Xan as he remembered the weirdly tattooed young man he'd defeated to become Sideous' apprentice... and the way Palpatine had looked when he'd thrust his lightsaber through his heart. "No, you and I appear to be the exceptions... although since I've only known two others, perhaps _they_ were the exceptions." He shrugged.

"Who... I probably don't even want to know," Obi replied, shaking his head in response to his own question. Xanatos' finger slid between the cheeks of his ass at that particular moment, forcing a full-throated moan of need from the younger man before he could tamp the sound down.

Obi-Wan blushed to the roots of his sandy hair. The only noises he ever made during sex anymore were the standard sounds that every customer expected to hear, certainly not the sound that just managed to break free from him. Dark gods, what was happening to him?

A faint small curled Xanatos' lips as he heard the sound of desire he'd drawn from the young man, and he lowered his head once again, this time taking Obi-Wan's mouth in a ravenous kiss. Seemingly trying to devour his apprentice, his tongue explored and claimed every inch of the hot, moist cavern, only retreating to draw Obi's tongue after and suck hungrily on it. His hands moved more strongly over Obi-Wan's body, stroking and arousing, a finger pushing inside him the slightest bit before retreating again.

"Force, what are you trying to do? Drive me crazy?" the younger man panted, his cock now throbbing and weeping precum, and it hadn't even really been stroked yet. Obi-Wan could feel his muscles tremble and his body shiver with each brush of Xanatos' hands. The man was skilled, perhaps more skilled than even Obi-Wan, although each man seemed to have come by their knowledge in completely different ways.

"Reminding you what it's like to do this for pleasure, not pay." Again Xanatos conveniently ignored their little bargain. "Or did you think that just because we made that deal I intended to be a selfish lover?" He laughed mockingly. "You will learn, Obi-Wan, that pleasure shared is pleasure doubled. Especially for Force-users." He shifted slightly so that his cock brushed over Obi's, then back again so that their only contact was his hands cupping the young man's buttocks.

"I've never done it for pleasure. The first time I had sex it was rape; after that I got paid for selling my body," Obi-Wan replied in a voice gone dead of emotion. "Sex is power and money, and both let me survive when I should have died. I've never thought sex was about pleasure. I have reactions; that's all. It's something my body does autonomously of me; I've never _wanted_ to have sex, okay? Not for the sake of having it without material gain."

Even Xanatos, a Sithlord, was appalled by that dead-sounding recital. Suddenly determined to make Obi-Wan enjoy this as much as a virgin on his bonding night, the older man slowly sank to his knees, licking and nipping each beautiful inch of the young body that now belonged to him, seeking to pleasure him. Once kneeling in front of Obi, rather than gobbling the hard cock, he focused on the soft skin at the crease of his thigh, laving and suckling first one side then the other, never touching the dripping cock or heavy balls.

Obi-Wan's eyes closed of their own will, and his head fell back on his shoulders. A voluptuous moan escaped unheeded, the younger man not even aware of the sound he was making. His entire being was focused on those two little patches of skin and the insidious pleasure that was coursing through his veins. Was this what making love was like? It certainly wasn't the fucking he was used to.

The former whore's hands crept up to rest on Xanatos' shoulder, needing that extra help to keep his balance. Soft ebony waves brushed against the backs of his hands, so inviting that he couldn't help but to play with the ends, his fingers brushing back and forth over the silken fall. "Force, oh Force!" he mewled quietly.

His smile hidden against Obi-Wan's thigh, Xanatos allowed his fingertips to just barely brush the velvety surface of the other man's sac, then glide back over his perineum in a motion so light that it was barely felt. His head angled slightly, causing long strands of his fair to swing over Obi's shaft. Reveling the unconscious moans of pleasure coming from the ex-whore, Xanatos finally touched his erection, his tongue lightly tracing the heavy vein on the underside from base to tip, and then he blew gently on the dampened skin.

Obi-Wan's fingers convulsed around the sculpted planes of Xan's shoulders, and his breathing became more and more erratic. His moans were now continuous, and with each new taunt and tease that the Sithlord tormented him with, his balls drew that much closer to his body.

When Xan's tongue finally traced along the length of his cock before blowing on his damp flesh, Obi's restraint went out the window. With a heaving cry, his body went rigid, and he had the first honestly pleasurable orgasm of his life.

Xanatos barely managed to get Obi-Wan's erection into his mouth in time, then hungrily swallowed his seed while humming with satisfaction. He milked Obi of the last drop of come, then while the aftershocks were still racing through his body, rose to his feet. He paused only to anoint himself with the oil near at hand before slowly pressing inside the climax-relaxed body. He glided into him smoothly, only coming to a halt when his balls were pressed against Obi's ass.

He froze, giving the young man to grow accustomed to the thick presence within him, worrying gently at the tendon on the side of Obi-Wan's neck while he waited.

Obi-Wan's head canted as Xanatos began to nibble on his neck, and he moaned quietly, legs shifting slightly while his hands reached back to grasp at the older man's hips for increased balance. "Force, you're big for a human," the younger man gasped as his body slowly adjusted to the Sithlord's cock. "You're almost as big as a Zabrakian!"

"Oh, but it's not how big you are but what you do with it that matters," Xanatos purred, slowly drawing back till only the tip remained inside Obi, then sliding inside again equally slowly. He maintained that languid pace for some time, even though his own body was screaming at him for more, determined to bring Obi-Wan to another climax, this one with him inside him, before he allowed himself his own release.

"Thought that only applied to lightsabers," Obi-Wan snarked before his fingers bit into Xan's hips hard enough to leave bright red crescents as his prostate was raked by the tip of Xan's cock. "Sithspawn!" the young man gasped as his body went rigid. "You're trying to kill me!"

"No, just pleasure you." Xanatos velvety tone promised so many dark delights, and his body seemed intent on delivering every one. His hands glided over Obi's hips, one coming to rest there, holding him close as he continued his slow glide in and out, the other skimming over drained balls and slightly stirring cock, then moving upward over his quivering belly, stopping at his chest where he plucked at a rigid nipple, twisting and tugging the sensitive bud.

The mewling noise came out of nowhere, and Obi-Wan slammed his jaw shut hard when he heard it. It sounded so... so... needy! Was this how the Sith recruited, this subversive pleasure that crept into every part of a person's soul and turned them into a willing slave?

"Mmmm, you sound as delicious as you taste." Xan's tongue stroked over the side of Obi's throat as if to compare, then his hand rose to turn the young man's head to the side so he could kiss him hungrily, his palm remaining cupped over the vulnerable throat. At the same time, his hips began to move a little faster.

Obi-Wan's body stirred impossibly to life, his phallus filling once more with each thrust of Xanatos' cock. The former whore's breath became increasingly ragged as his mouth was claimed as thoroughly as his body. Over and over Xan's cock hit its mark, stabbing into Obi-Wan's prostate. Finally the younger man ripped his mouth away to suck in heaving gasps of air, his eyes wild and unfocused as a primal scream built in the back of his throat.

Feeling Obi-Wan trembling on the brink of another climax, Xanatos let himself go finally, now pounding into his body with forceful thrusts, nearly bruising Obi's ass as he rammed into him. Both of them needed it hard and fast now, and Xan growled wordlessly as his body tensed, then thrust into the young man even deeper than he had been, a strangled cry escaping, muffled by Obi-Wan's mouth, as he came.

Obi-Wan's cries commingled with Xanatos' as he too found his second release of the night at the same time as the Sithlord. Sagging against the older man's body, the emotionally and physically exhausted young man could no longer shore up the trickle of tears that seeped out of the corners of his eyes.

He'd been denied so much and all because some asshole of a Jedi master couldn't see past his own pain. Even this dark version of desire was more than he'd ever received from Jinn and the Jedi in general, and he felt his fragile inner shields shatter like spun glass, exposing his core personality for Xanatos' taking. He was split wide open, no defenses left and powerless to stop the older man from invading his mind, should he so wish it.

Even with the last tremors of his climax vibrating through him, Xanatos felt Obi-Wan's shields collapse, and without thought, he instantly reached for him mentally. Before he could think better of what he was doing, they had come together, a strong training bond linking their minds. Shock clanged through the older Sith as he realized what he'd done, and he hastily blocked off his deepest self. He made no attempt, however, to shield the topmost levels of his mind from the fledgling bond, allowing Obi access to him even as they sank to their knees, unable to remain standing any longer.

Obi-Wan's eyes flew open as he felt for the first time in his life what a training bond felt like. What it felt like to have another person in his mind, sharing his thoughts and allowing Obi-Wan into his. "What... what have you done?" he whispered, staring at the older man in disbelief and dawning hope that perhaps Xanatos had, in fact, been telling Obi-wan the truth instead of just another empty promise in a long line of broken promises dating back to the moment he'd been given to the Jedi for safekeeping as a newborn infant.

"I told you that I wanted you as my apprentice... too." Xan smiled crookedly, carefully pulling out of Obi-Wan and turning the young man to face him without the painful-looking twisting. "That would be a training bond." He wasn't going to admit that he hadn't expected one so strong and deep, much more profound that even the one he'd shared with Jinn. Palpatine had barely linked to him, preferring to hoard his mind and powers, so this... this was like healing a wound, filling an emptiness he hadn't been consciously aware of feeling.

"I... Jinn wouldn't, said I wasn't going to be his apprentice, so why would I, but I felt the start of one when we fought the draigons, and it felt so right, like the Force wanted it to be or something, but Jinn, he cut it off so brutally, denied it and slammed these impenetrable shields down. It hurt so bad I was knocked out, and when I woke up again, what I thought was a bond was gone, and we were on different ships, me heading to Bandomeer and him off to his glorious mission or something," Obi-Wan admitted quietly.

"I never felt whole again after he did that. It was like I was blind and he'd given me sight for a few brief moments only to snatch it back again. I've spent the rest of my life in darkness until... until now," the younger man was crying openly now, his whole being exposed for the taking. " _Thank you_ for letting me see again."

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Xanatos wrapped his arms around the suddenly fragile-seeming young man, drawing him against him and allowing him to weep against his chest. He began to understand why Sith didn't usually have true training bonds the way Jedi did: he didn't think he could bear to allow harm to come to Obi-Wan. Yet he could not bring himself to regret what he'd done either; they would find their own way, he and his apprentice, and not even the Force would be able to help the Jedi!

When the emotional storm had abated and Obi-Wan had finally managed to regain control of both his emotions and his shields, tattered though that control might be, he found himself embarrassed at being so weak in front of a Sithlord.

Weakness was exploited or cut out like a disease; Sith couldn't afford to be weak. So why had Xanatos allowed him the luxury of tears? And why did he feel this uncontrollable urge to offer the dark Jedi his very soul up on a silver platter?

"Is this where I'm dismissed for the night because you're finished with me? Or are you finished with me yet?" Obi-Wan asked gruffly, trying to hide behind anger to protect his still unstable emotional state.

To his own surprise, Xanatos heard himself say, "If you want to return to your room, that's your choice. If not, you're perfectly welcome to _sleep_ here with me." What was he saying? He'd never in his entire life allowed someone to spend the whole night in his bed, and here he was inviting this former whore--the man who was bonded to him, his mind whispered--to share it with him.

"You'd trust me to sleep with you?" Obi-Wan replied, shocked. No one had ever trusted him that much, not since his days in the creche.

"I trusted you in my mind. Drawing back from my bed would be a bit ridiculous, don't you think?" Xan rose to his feet and held out a hand to Obi, offering to help him up as well. "But first I think a shower is in order."

"I don't get you at all," the younger man muttered, looking at Xan's hand as if it were a Sithian viradder but still reaching out to take it. This was his master, his owner after all. Xanatos had all rights to his body, and should he want Obi to shower, so be it. Of course Obi-Wan was loath to admit that he so desperately wanted a shower he could feel his skin crawl; that would be too much like giving in but... "A shower sounds nice, I guess," the younger man replied mumbling.

Xanatos couldn't restrain the genuinely amused laugh that escaped him. "You might want to reconsider lying to me, Obi-Wan... The training bond?" he reminded him, grinning. Oh, this boy was going to make his life very interesting and in far more ways than he'd first anticipated. "For now, the shower." He drew the younger man after him, eager to cleanse his body of the stickiness caused by their exertions.

"Sithbedamned thing," Obi muttered under his breath, following along behind Xanatos like a good little puppy. "This was _so_ not part of our deal, Te Crion! I mean, I can't have even a modicum of privacy anymore? I at least had my thoughts to myself at the whorehouse," the younger man continued, although his grumbling was, for the most part, without any heat to it.

"The bond will stabilize in the next several hours, and after that unless goaded by strong emotions, we will be able to shield against each other." Xanatos stepped into the shower, sighing contentedly as the water pounded down on him.

"Okay, correct me if I'm wrong here but isn't the whole Sith gig about strong emotions? You know, anger, hate fear and aggression? Isn't that why the masters in general and the little green troll in particular warned all us initiates not to give into them? Well, that and lust and passion. Those were right up there on the not to do list at the Temple," Obi queried even as he turned the water hotter than Xanatos had it set at, wanting to bake himself with hot water.

"Well yes, but it's not like anyone can exist on an emotional peak every moment of their lives. It's more about indulging the emotions when they happen instead of burying and sublimating them," Xan explained, rolling his shoulders under the water as he let the day's tensions wash away.

"So if I feel like killing you, I should indulge in the sentiment, is that what you're saying?" Obi-Wan asked innocently, glancing back over his shoulder at his new 'master'.

"I'd really rather you didn't. It's so troublesome having to kill and replace apprentices all the time." Xanatos gave him a bland smile.

Obi-Wan snorted but let the subject drop. There would be enough time later on to start testing the limits of what he could and couldn't get away with. For right now the young man just wanted to enjoy not having to service a room full of people all night long. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually slept at night, so this was going to be something of a treat for him, to sleep the night through.

"Whatever you say, Te Crion, whatever you say," the younger man replied, unwilling to give Xanatos the last word, as he began to lather his chest and groin, washing off the semen that had splattered over him.

Well aware of Obi-Wan's desire to take some sort of control, Xanatos chose to let him get away with it this time, quickly washing up and stepping out of the shower. "Feel free to join me or return to your own room," he said over his shoulder as he padded back out to the bedroom, leaving it up to the young man. He had a feeling this unexpected bond was going to make him reevaluate his training plans for his new apprentice, but he realized he didn't mind. If he could get past those prickly defense mechanisms, the two of them would be far more than the Jedi could imagine.

"Well, fuck! He gives me a choice _now_?" the young man groaned. "How totally un-fucking-Sithlike is that?" Part of Obi-Wan had to admit that he liked having someone care enough about him that they ordered him around, even if that caring was like caring for a piece of property or a favored pet. It had been a long time since anyone had cared whether he lived or died--beyond his handlers, who were more concerned with losing their income than his well-being.

That more than anything made up his mind, and scant moments later he was crawling into bed next to Xanatos, unsure of how close to get but hoping that maybe his new master would want to hold him instead of just ignoring his presence.

Not admitting even to himself how pleased he was that Obi-Wan had chosen to join him, Xanatos opened midnight blue eyes and rolled over to face him. He met the wary, sea-green gaze equably, then reached over and hooked an arm around the young man, drawing him close until they were nestled together, Obi's head on his chest as Xan dropped back onto his back.

"Get some sleep," he ordered softly.

Not able to come up with a snappy comeback for once in his life, Obi-Wan allowed the strange sense of homecoming to seep into his bones and give him comfort. And, surprisingly, Obi-Wan fell into an untroubled sleep, not even feeling threatened by the arms holding him tightly against the lean, lithe but deceptively strong body behind him.

***

Xanatos woke first the next morning, not surprising considering the hours Obi had been keeping. What did surprise him was that despite his initial intention of waking the youth up and throwing him straight into training, he was just lying there holding him almost protectively.

Rolling in the embrace, Obi snuggled deeper into Xan's arms, his face now pressed against the older man's chest and his own arms wrapped around Xanatos. Obi-Wan would never have admitted this while awake, but he was a snuggler, and he continued to worm his way closer into his master's embrace, one leg slipping between Xan's even as his mouth found, latched onto and began to suckle sleepily on one of the older man's nipples.

At first startled, Xanatos slowly roused as his apprentice moved closer, taking what he wanted in ways he would never let his guard down enough to attempt while awake. One of Xan's hands rose to cup the back of his hand, sinking into the fine silk of his hair, and the older man's back arched, a drowsy murmur of pleasure escaping him.

Waking slowly, Obi-Wan's eyelashes fluttered open, brushing against Xan's skin like a butterfly's kiss, mutable eyes unfocused and sleepy. Reality came swiftly as Xanatos' pleasure brushed against his mind, reminding Obi of the training bond, and he stopped, fighting the fight or flight instinct that had taken over the minute conscious thought had returned.

Torn between wanting to continue what he was doing and not being able to trust anyone except to lie and use him, Obi-Wan didn't know what to do and couldn't stop the piteous moan that vibrated against Xan's chest.

Able to sense every emotion, Xanatos hovered between forcing Obi, breaking him like a proper Sith apprentice, and reassuring him, allowing him to rebuild himself. Almost to his own surprise, his hand fell away from Obi-Wan's head, his arms loosening until the boy could easily pull away if he chose. Obi-Wan had just become the single person that Xanatos would not willingly harm.

After long, agonizing moments of indecision, Obi-Wan's tongue came out and flicked across the nubbin of flesh in his mouth, his hands coming to rest lightly on Xan's waist, his fingers tracing patterns on the older man's flesh as he did so. Over and over his tongue dance across his master's flesh, his eyelashes continuing to flutter softly against Xan's skin as added stimulus.

Pleased by Obi-Wan's choice, Xanatos arched upward slightly, pressing a little harder against his tongue, and his fingers flexed at the young man's waist. He shivered as Obi brought his sensual tricks to bear, his flesh rousing, but it was the faint hint of true arousal in Obi-Wan's mind that truly woke his own passions.

Feeling his cock stir from the relatively new sensation of real desire, Obi-Wan began to rub his morning erection against Xan's leg, arousing them both even more. Moaning around the erect nubbin of flesh, Obi opened his eyes and looked up at Xan, wanting to see if he was pleasing his new master.

Xanatos stared down, dark eyes meeting and locking onto light, the bond between them flaring into full awareness, each of them feeling what the other felt. Their growing pleasure echoed between them, each reinforcing the other, and these small touches already had him nearing a peak. Groaning, he reached between them, long fingers curling around Obi-Wan's erection, seeking to increase his enjoyment.

The moan of pleasure came out of nowhere. Oh, he'd made these noises before, but they had always been forced, fake. This one was real, as a bolt of need shot from his cock to his nervous system making his body quake with need. Gasping, Obi's head fell back and away from the nipple he'd been suckling on, his ever-changing eyes falling shut as he gasped for air while his body reacted. "Please, master, oh please!" he begged unknowingly.

"That's it, Obi, feel," Xanatos purred. Slowly, he rolled on top of the younger man, settling between his legs, smiling when they spread wider for him. "I want to be inside you, Obi-Wan. I want to feel you hot and tight around me, feeling everything I have to give you." He could feel the twin surges of lust and fear in his apprentice's mind, and he waited to see which one would win.

It was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do: let go of his distrust and his control and let another man guide his movements, his body, his arousal. Oh, he knew that he belonged to Xanatos now. By the covenant he himself had agreed to, the Sithlord owned him body and soul. But instead of breaking him to his will, Xanatos seemed to be gentling him to the bit, so to speak. It was so confusing.

Add to it the sensations crashing through him at the moment and Obi-Wan could barely think at all, he could only react. "Please, master, anything. Everything," the younger man mewled at last, bowing to the needs that raged within him.

Using the Force to ease his entry, Xanatos resettled himself between the young man's legs, slowly rubbing up and down the crease of his ass a few times before positioning the head of his cock at the opening and pressing inside. "Ah, Force, yes!" he groaned, feeling the tight heat enclose him. He paused to allow Obi to grow accustomed to him, then felt the lust in his apprentice's mind, freeing him to move.

Groaning, Obi's hands fisted into the sheets above his head and his eyes closed even as his whole body arched off the bed except for where he was impaled by the Sithlord's cock. "Oh Force!" he moaned quietly, writhing on his impalement. It actually felt _good_ , very good. He had never thought he could think of sex as pleasurable for the sake of pleasure again - it had been a tool, a means to an end but this... was exquisite.

Xanatos allowed the pleasure to build between them, flowing back and forth between their minds, each reinforced by the other until he thought they might never find their way apart. His body moved hungrily, hips driving back and forth, erection thrusting in and out, and his mouth covered Obi-Wan's, taking it as voraciously as he claimed his body.

Wrapping his legs around the older man's hips, Obi's hands gradually released their hold on the sheets and wended around Xan's shoulders. Holding on as if for dear life, Obi began to thrust up into Xan's hips, meeting each one with a passion of his own. "Force, oh Force, please, need..."

The feel of Xanatos in his mind, caressing parts of him long abandoned and empty, bringing new life, new sensation, had Obi-Wan spinning. It was like he'd been dead but was given a second chance, like he was blind but could see again, and it was glorious. "Please... XANATOS!"

Unable to hold back any longer, Xan plunged into Obi-Wan, his hand moving on the young man's erection so rapidly it was almost a blur, and he cried Obi's name as he came, buried deep inside him. And even at the moment of climax, he could still feel Obi-Wan's sensations as well, building even as his own orgasm exploded through both of them.

Sagging back into the sheets, spent and exhausted beyond measure, Obi-Wan could only stare in disbelief as the older man's orgasm washed over him. "Wha... what happened?" he gasped, feeling the bond widen and open even further under the pleasure that coursed through his veins. "What's going on?"

Xan clutched at him, his own eyes widening slightly as the bond deepened between them, into something that he thought could never be broken. Slumping over the younger man, he lay there trying to reassemble his scattered thoughts in the wake of the most intense climax of his life. "I think that the training bond just turned itself into a lifebond," he said faintly.

"Lifebond?" Obi-Wan squeaked. "Lifebonds are myth - legend. They're fairytales cooked up by those crackpot Jedi, aren't they?"

"No," Xanatos sighed. "They're not. Both Jedi and Sith have documented them for millennia. It's just that they're very, very rare. I never expected..." He frowned, slowly pulling out of Obi and rolling over onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

"But... what does that mean? To us? How is that going to affect... everything?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice low and scared. "What is a lifebond anyway?"

"It means that neither of us has to worry about outliving the other," Xanatos sighed. "Even if we could block out each other's pain, which I doubt would be possible, our lifeforce is shared now. We live and die together. And until the bond stabilizes, which should take a few days, we need to stay close together, in physical contact as much as possible.

"Oh, and we're probably incapable of sex with anyone else anymore, at least as an active participant." He shook his head, still stunned by the development.

"You mean... well I guess that means killing you like a proper Sith apprentice is out now, hunh?" Obi-Wan sighed, moving towards the side of the bed and away from Xanatos just to test the older man's separation theory as well as relieve his bladder. The further he got from the bed, the more pronounced the pain became until he had to stop just outside the bathroom door, shaking in pain and shock, not quite willing to believe that he was now bound to one man for the rest of his life.

Able to feel Obi-Wan's pain as well as his own, Xanatos had forced himself to remain still to find out what their current limits were, but the flash of agony had him moving to his apprentice's side almost before he willed it. His arms slid around the youth, the pain ebbing as they pressed together, and he kept an arm around Obi's waist as they entered the bathroom so they could relieve themselves and bathe.

"I can see this is going to force some changes on us."

"I guess that means I don't get to keep the room, hunh?" Obi-Wan panted, feeling the pain flowing away increment by increment. "Does this postpone our training for a while? I mean until the bond settles some more, that is," the younger man continued, as he sagged against the cool tile, one hand on Xanatos's waist at all times.

"You can keep the room; you just won't be able to use it for a little while. As for the training, well, we'll try it and see. I don't know if we need to stay in constant contact or not. If not, we can begin."

"This is going to make killing Qui-Gon and bringing down the Jedi rather difficult if it doesn't get any better, isn't it?" Obi-Wan sighed bitterly, not bothering to hide his emotions from the older man, knowing he couldn't even if he wanted to. The anger, the hate, the disappointment, the need to prove himself all washed over the young whore and therefore over his Sith master. "It isn't _fair_ , dammit!"

"It will stabilize in a short time," Xanatos explained. "We're not going to be joined at the hip forever. While there has never before to my knowledge been a lifebonded Sith pair, there have been such pairings among the Jedi, and it is a matter of record that they were able to work independently, even occasionally on different worlds."

"You mean we're the first in history? Is that a bad thing or a good thing?" Obi-Wan asked, leaning his head against the cool tile and closing his eyes. "Lemme guess, considering the way the Sith work, it's a bad thing. I mean, if we're lifebonded, I can't kill you, and you can't kill me, and neither of us can take another apprentice because if we do and they kill one of us, they kill both of us, which would be very bad."

"That just about covers it," Xanatos sighed. "So, we become something new, neither Jedi nor Sith. We'll figure out how this works and use it to destroy the passionless Jedi, and we'll prove that you don't have to be alone to be strong. The universe will be ours, Obi-Wan!" he crowed.

Opening his eyes to look at the older man, his lover, his master, his lifebonded mate, or so it would now seem, Obi-Wan shivered at Xan's emotions. They were primal, savage, and passionate and so unlike the way he'd been most of his life - cold and cut off from emotion.

"Will it?" the younger man queried quietly. "Or will it be our destruction?"

"Nothing can destroy me," Xanatos scoffed, sure of his destiny. "First this planet, then this galaxy, then... Then, my Obi, then we show the Jedi just what they gave up for their bland, passionless existence. We'll destroy them and fuck on the shattered remains of their temple."

"You're very sure of yourself, aren't you?" the younger man asked quietly as he stepped under the hot spray of the shower he had started moments before. "What makes you think that a Sithlord and a temple reject can defeat the entire order?"

"Determination... and beauty," Xan chuckled suddenly, coming down from his high. "The Sith have nearly defeated the Jedi before, with only two, and we two are one. How can we not defeat them?"

"You are a very strange man, you know that? Why the Force saw fit to bind me to you for the rest of our lives I'm not at all sure... I mean the facts would have me think that we should despise it each other, but we don't and... This is just really weird," Obi sighed, shaking his head and sending droplets of water everywhere.

"I wasn't exactly expecting this either, you know," Xan replied, suddenly serious. "But oddly enough, I find I don't mind. I don't believe all that 'will of the Force' crap, but clearly we are bound, and there's nothing we could do about it, even if we wanted to. We'll just have to learn the boundaries."

"The boundaries are what I'm afraid of. What if they are more restrictive for Sith than Jedi? Maybe we should swipe what the Jedi have on life bonds. That would give us the information we need as well as deprive them of having it. Better that they don't know that we've bonded or if they do find out, know more about life bonds than us," Obi-Wan replied practically. "I'd rather not give them the upper hand before they know they have it."

Xanatos nodded slowly. "A good plan. I'll send someone today. Though I doubt a lifebond is any different for Sith than Jedi. It's just that most Sith are not open to such a thing, _especially_ not with their apprentice or master, who would be the only other Force-sensitive they would know."

"So we're freaks among the freaks. What else is new?" Obi shrugged, reaching for the soap and beginning to lather his hands. "At least we'll be phenomenal freaks."


End file.
